Don't worry, Danny

Lawrence Dallaglio keeps a five-inch piece of metal in a jar at home as a reminder of a serious ankle injury. The memento makes him uniquely qualified to help Danny Cipriani recover from the horrific accident which will rule him out of England's summer tour of New Zealand.

Cipriani's injury, which left him screaming in pain and needing oxygen, marred London Wasps' celebrations as they reached the Guinness Premiership Final by defeating Bath at Wycombe yesterday.

Dallaglio needed the metal plate and screws to repair a fractured ankle that wrecked his 2005 Lions tour to New Zealand. He came back well enough to play in the World Cup two years later and remains hugely competitive as Wasps attempt to give their captain the perfect send-off against Leicester at Twickenham on 31 May.

While Dallaglio featured heavily during and after the 21-10 win over Bath, it was Cipriani's suspected fracture and dislocation of his right ankle that saw him admitted to hospital and cast a shadow over the semi-final triumph.

Given that Cipriani is only starting out as an international player, he has plenty of time to make up for the probable four to six months that the injury will require to heal. There will be a natural desire from Cipriani to come back quicker than the experts predict, but he will be told, in no uncertain terms, by Dallaglio and the Wasps management, that no shortcuts will be allowed.

The Cipriani injury, coupled with Tom Voyce's dislocated shoulder, has left Wasps needing to hold a medical roll call to determine their team for the final. Also ruled out by long-term injury are England captain Phil Vickery and Dave Walder, who broke his leg when deputising for Cipriani last month.

Rafael Ibanez, the ex-France captain and hooker, is expected to make a swift recovery from the back spasm that kept him out of the Bath game while England stars Josh Lewsey and Simon Shaw are soldiering on despite various problems that require complete rest over the summer.

It portrays Wasps as a team limping into the final against a Leicester side that squeezed past Gloucester 26-25 in another punishing match.